Citing his “dedication to social justice and the future of Catholic education,” Loyola Marymount University awarded Archbishop José H. Gomez with an honorary degree during a Jan. 30 forum on immigration.
In bestowing the degree, LMU President Timothy Snyder described Gomez as a “courageous and compassionate man of God” who “espouses love and upholds the dignity of society’s most vulnerable citizens.” In his remarks following the degree conferral, Archbishop Gomez said, “It is not fair and it is not right” for leaders in Washington to use DACA youths as a ‘bargaining chip’ in negotiations involving a proposed border wall and increased security.
Catholics, the archbishop said, have an important role to play in the public debate — to remind leaders that “a person’s dignity cannot be denied or ignored — just because that person does not have the proper papers.”
“What makes any society great is not its military or its economy,” Archbishop Gomez said. “What makes a society great is the quality of its mercy. Defending those who are weak and unprotected. Treating others as we hope to be treated ourselves. With the same love, the same compassion.”
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